Seeds Of Faith

And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. Luke 17:6

The mustard seed has a variety of uses as a spice and a medicinal herb, but, as with any seed, it's primary purpose is reproduction. Here's the thing about seeds, though: if you don't plant them, they are utterly worthless. Here the disciples ask Christ to increase their faith, and Jesus brings out the analogy of the mustard seed--one of the tiniest of seeds that grows into one of the largest of garden plants. He tells them, in essence, "You don't need me to increase your faith--you already have it. You need to USE what you have, and it will GROW!" Sometimes what we need isn't for God to give us more of something (ie--faith, grace, patience, love, et al), but for us to actually employ what we do have. Faith and patience and love...these things increase with practice. They're like seeds or muscles. They can't grow until they've been used. We could all use more faith, so let's get to planting.